Your bargaining team is pleased to report we came to a tentative agreement with the employer last Thursday. If you accept it, the resulting collective agreement will bring in a number of improvements to our working conditions.

Effective April 1, 2018 and expiring March 31, 2020, the agreement includes increases to our Weekend and Shift Premiums, Responsibility Pay and our Health Benefits, which will be 75-per-cent employer contributed and 25-per-cent-employee contributed upon ratification.

Other monetary increases include:

Flexible Health Spending (to $800).

LPN Registration Fees (to $250/yr).

Overtime at time and a half for the first two hours of work, then double-time for all hours worked after.

The terms of our wages in the renewed contract are:

Year one: no salary increase

Year two: wage reopener and bargaining for an added 5th step to the GSS classifications.

Updated Leaves of Absence reflecting new Employment Standards for Compassionate/Terminal Care, Death or Disappearance of a Child, and Domestic Violence Leave among others.

A workload appeal process.

These provisions along with your Contracting Out Letter of Understanding (LOU), which we retained, are the kinds of protections you deserve and need to maintain your physical and mental wellbeing, so you can continue to try and make our worksite a better place for each other and for our residents.

Ratification votes for the tentative agreement will happen on Dec. 13 and 17.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your bargaining team.